December 7, 2007 - A report issued last Friday (November 30, 2007) by the FDA's Science and Advisory Board documented that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is understaffed, underfunded and underperforming is all the evidence Congress should need to reject proposed legislation that would add responsibility for tobacco regulation to that overburdened agency. That's the message sent to Congress (12/5/2007) by Jim Martin, President of 60 Plus , a national senior advocacy organization. Martin sent a letter to the House Energy and Commerce Committee urging them not to add to the FDA's problems by voting in favor of the tobacco regulation legislation. The legislation Martin asked the committee to reject is known as the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (H.R. 1108). It would force the FDA to take on wide-ranging responsibility for all facets of tobacco regulation. ( Leader Urges Congress Not to Worsen FDA Crisis, PRNewswire-USNewswire, 12/5/2007) Related news brief: October 5, 2007.Read more...

December 6, 2007 - Underage smoking will be outlawed and parents banned from lighting up in cars with children, under a Victorian proposal to crack down on youth smoking. Nationals MP (Member of Parliament) Damian Drum signalled in state parliament on Tuesday he would introduce a private member's bill to reduce the number of young smokers. The bill, to be tabled early next year, would make smoking illegal for under 18s and introduce penalties for minors caught having a puff. The proposed legislation also would ban parents from smoking in cars when children are on board. Under existing laws, it is illegal to sell cigarettes to anyone under 18 but minors are not penalized for smoking. Click on image to enlarge.. Victoria is a state located in the south-eastern corner of Australia. It is the smallest mainland state in area, but the most densely populated and urbanised. Victoria is the second most populous Australian state, after New South Wales, with an estimated population of 5,188,100 as at March 2007. Melbourne is Victoria's capital and largest city, with more than 70% of all Victorians living there. (TobaccoWatch.org) Read more...

December 6, 2007 - In an effort to help curb the Brits appetite for cigarettes, the UK has unveiled a series of 15 disturbing images and slogans that will be printed on cigarette boxes starting in October 2008. By slapping on pictures of throat cancer and blackened lungs, the government hopes to send a stronger message to smokers beyond just the warning label. According to Health Secretary Alan Johnson, tobacco is the number one cause of death and illness in the UK, killing over 120,000 people this year, which works out to more than 13 people an hour! UK officials are not the first to enlist such a heavy scare tactic. In 2001, Canada was the first country to use this approach, where more than 1/2 of smokers claim they now smoke less due to the images impact. Singapore began splashing horrific images across their cigarette packs in 2004 and have since reported 1/4 of smokers “felt inspired to quit”. Australia and Brazil have also seen similar results. UK To Print Horrific Images On Cigarette Packs The findings provide strong support for the effectiveness of prominent text warnings that meet the minimum international standards, the findings also suggest that larger pictorial warnings may have an even greater impact.(David Hammond, PhD, Do Cigarette Warning Labels Work? Results From Four Countries, February 6, 2007) Image courtesy of Thailand Health Promotion Institute; Click on image to enlarge.. Mild Seven is the second most popular cigarette in the world behind Marlboro. (TobaccoWatch.org) Read more...

December 5, 2007 - - Lorillard Tobacco Co. is denying that its use of the letter “M” to promote its Newport cigarettes cashes in on Philip Morris USA’s iconic Marlboro brand. The nation’s No. 1 tobacco company filed suit in October in U.S. District Court seeking to block Lorillard from using an “M” in its packaging for Newport, contending it unfairly infringes on its top-selling brand. Lorillard, which is based in Greensboro, N.C., filed an application in February with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to register “M Newport Blend” and “M Newport Blend The Way to Chill” as trademarks. Lorillard said Richmond-based Philip Morris’ “alleged M mark is not famous” and that “consumers do not associate the letter M alone with Philip Morris at all, let alone exclusively.” Marlboro, the best selling cigarette in the world, is the most popular cigarette in the United States, with a 41.1 percent share of the retail market. Philip Morris said its brands have a 50.6 share. Lorillard, which is a subsidiary of Loews Corp., had a 10 percent share of the U.S. cigarette market. The Newport brand, the best selling menthol cigarette in the United States, had a 9 percent share. Click on images to enlarge..Read more...

December 5, 2007 - The words of Murray Kessler, UST's (principal subsidiaries: U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company and Ste. Michelle Wine Estates) president and chief operating officer, at the Reuters Consumer and Retail Summit in New York, 6/20/2006. "There's a market (for smokeless) there and collectively or individually, one of us (referring to his company, Philip Morris or R.J. Reynolds Tobacco) is going to get it right and it's going to be big business," Kessler said. (Tobacco Journal International)Tobacco companies now realize for SNUS to catch on and be a strong seller it's going to require more public awareness and education.Even the mighty Marlboro name linked to SNUS is having trouble. Brad Rodu, an oral pathologist and professor of Medicine at the University of Louisville, says smokeless products can serve as effective substitutes for smokers who are either unable or unwilling to quit tobacco and nicotine entirely (inveterate smokers). Dr.Rodu holds an endowed chair in tobacco harm-reduction research funded by two companies that manufacture smokeless tobacco products. (Tobacco ruling reopens debate on smokeless products , 9/26/2006, New York, NY, Lauren Foster) We're afraid the groups that will take time out to learn the Art of SNUSING are young adults and kids that want to be young adults. (TobaccoWatch.org) Click on image to enlarge..Read more...

December 4, 2007 - Yesterday, the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco representative spent at least 4-hours in our c-store passing out coupons for a free can of Camel SNUS (calling it Swedish snuff) to every person that bought a tobacco product. Tobacco companies now realize for SNUS to catch on and be a strong seller it's going to require more public awareness and education. Even the mighty Marlboro name linked to SNUS is having trouble. David Sylvia, director of media affairs for PM USA did say that consumer awareness was a major barrier. “With a new product, people just don’t understand,” he said. “Getting them aware is a big challenge. Awareness and understanding is critical.” Look for the Marlboro January 2008 Gift Pack Promotion for all those loyal Marlboro Red and Lights adult smokers. (TobaccoWatch.org) Click on image to enlarge.._Read more...